The below is a blog post from Richard Cordova (http://www.thebody.com/content/69145/of-lessons-learned-my-days-with-hiv.html) which I found very touching. I think these lessons are very applicable to us all, as you can interchange HIV with any other challenge in our lives, such as being gay. People will reject you for being gay. They will also reject you for being short, fat, skinny etc. That doesn’t mean that you need to hide it from people.

The blog post:

How do you feel about being HIV positive? Do you feel good? Bad? Scared? Maybe you don’t care … for me, HIV is there. It’s something I think about a lot, but I’m not scared of it. Not like I used to be. I used to be afraid of dying. I used to be afraid of people finding out I was positive. I used to be afraid I would pass it to someone else.

Since being diagnosed in 2002, I’ve learned some things (in no particular order):

I’ve learned that accepting my own mortality has nothing to do with waiting around to die.

I’ve learned that accepting my own mortality has nothing to do with my HIV.

I’ve learned that if I don’t stay healthy, I’m more likely to die of a stroke, then from HIV.

I’ve learned that people will reject you.

I’ve learned that people will reject you for being short, overweight, skinny, white, black, and yes, HIV positive.

I’ve learned that it hurts just as much when you are rejected for being short and overweight as when it’s for being HIV positive.

I’ve learned that if you use condoms, you can stop the spread of HIV.

I’ve learned that even though it’s scary, telling people you’re HIV positive can be a very freeing experience.

I’ve learned that the more people I told, the more powerful I felt.

I’ve learned that the more powerful I felt, I realized that other HIV-positive people around me felt powerless.

I’ve learned that with great power comes great responsibility.

I’ve learned that I need to help other HIV-positive people free themselves from the shame and stigma of being HIV positive.

I’ve learned that we are stronger together than we are apart.

I’ve learned that sometimes it just takes one step at a time.

I’ve learned that change can be scary.

I’ve learned that change can be wonderful.

I’ve learned that if you are willing to fight for what you want, you can have it.

I’ve learned that sometimes just because you fight for it doesn’t mean you’ll get it.

I’ve learned that being so open about my status can be very tiring.

I’ve learned that being so open about my status can be a lonely road.

I’ve learned that being so open about my status can be very rewarding.

I’ve learned that asking people to do things that make them uncomfortable can produce wonderful results.